you Thank you. I don't understand. The notices for the week. If the Lord will, pastor will
preach next Lord's Day at 10.30 and 2 o'clock. Pastor will also
preach on Thursday evening at 7 o'clock. There will be a prayer
meeting on Tuesday evening at 7 o'clock. May the Lord help us now to commence
our worship today with hymn number 247, the tune Kilmarnock 856. O Lord, I would delight in Thee,
and on Thy care depend. To Thee in every trouble flee,
my best, my only friend. Hymn 247. ? Through thy fulfillingly ? ?
And on thy deathly bed ? ? Till the end of retrospect ? Life
is my only quest. Extremes are dry, but goodness
is the same. May I with this be satisfied
and glory in thy name. I took the salt and dropped it
over and the fountain filled. A mountain which we'll never
climb, Where all the sea and hill No good in preachers can be found,
but they can be found in Thee. O'er the ramparts we watched,
were so gallantly streaming? Oh, that I had as strong a faith
To you we'd be compelled To credit my Thou Thy Saviour's hand, which
was, can never fail. Be that astray, by heaven's sacred
will give no good the night. While Christ is rich, I love
Thee more, What can I hope besides? The Lord I trust, I care only,
I triumph at the Lord. The reading, dear friends, from
the Holy Word of God will be from the book of Psalms. And
we will read the first, the second, the third, and the fourth Psalms. The first
four Psalms. Blessed is the man that walketh
not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners,
nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is
in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day
and night. And he shall be like a tree planted
by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his
season. His leaf also shall not wither,
and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not
so, but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not
stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knoweth the way
of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish. Why do the heathen rage, and
the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord, and against
his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and
cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens
shall laugh, the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them
in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have
I set making upon my holy hill of Zion, I will declare thee
decree. The Lord hath said unto me, Thou
art my son, this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me and I shall give
thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the
earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a
rod of iron, thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's
vessel. Be wise now therefore, O ye kings,
Be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear,
and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry,
and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put
their trust in him. Lord, how are they increased
that trouble me? Many are they that rise up against
me. Many there be which say of my
soul, there is no help for him in God, sealer. But thou, O Lord, art a shield
for me. My glory and the lifter up of
mine head. I cried unto the Lord with my
voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill, sealer. I laid me down and slept. I awaked, for the Lord sustained
me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands
of people, that have set themselves against me round about. Arise, O Lord, save me, O my
God, for Thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheekbone. Thou hast broken the teeth of
the ungodly. Salvation belongeth unto the
Lord, Thy blessing is upon thy people, Salem. Hear me when I call, O God of
my righteousness. Thou hast enlarged me when I
was in distress. Have mercy upon me and hear my
prayer. O ye sons of men, How long will
ye turn my glory into shame? How long will ye love vanity
and seek after least sin? But know that the Lord hath set
apart him that is godly for himself. The Lord will hear when I call
unto him. Stand in awe and sin not, Commune
with your own heart upon your bed, And be still, sealer. Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,
And put your trust in the Lord. There be many that say, Who will
show us any good? Lift thou up the light of thy
countenance upon us. Thou hast put gladness in my
heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine
increase. I will both lay me down in peace
and sleep, for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety. We will leave the reading there
from God's holy word. May the Lord own and bless the
truths that we have read together. May the Lord help us now in prayer. Most holy, sovereign, eternal,
and yet ever gracious, ever merciful Lord God, Do help us now to stand
in awe that Thy holy majesty, Thy glorious person, Jehovah-Jireh,
Thou Lord who art from everlasting to everlasting, Alpha and Omega. Jesus Christ, the same yesterday
and today and forever. Grant us, O Lord, that solemnized
heart and mind. Favor us to draw near to Thee
at the throne of Thy grace. as we desire to venture, O Lord,
once again, out of necessity, out of our great need. And O
Lord, do engage our hearts in prayer, and may those words proceed
from unfaintly. The prayer of necessity. Lord,
help me. Lord, undertake for us. Thou be with us in thine earthly
courts today. We are favoured to be gathered
together in the house of God. the place where thine honour
dwelleth, the place where thou hath promised to meet and to
bless thy exercised living family. And so, Lord, the days of the past
week have now gone. And we come up on the first day
of this another week to render prayer, prayer and praise unto
the God of our life. Prayer because we need Thee Lord
still. We need Thee continually. And praise to thank Thee for
Thy great goodness and Thy divine mercy that hath maintained us
and upheld us until now. O miracle, indeed! And so, Lord, we would trust
in Thee regarding the future days our remaining time on this
earth. And while, Lord, our days are
spared, may we give them, Lord, to Thee. In the worship of Thy
great and holy name, and in the preaching of the gospel, O Lord,
Do grant to us, then, the wonderful gift and blessing of thy Holy
Spirit, that we may be enabled so to do. The Lord, without thy
Holy Spirit, we cannot attain unto anything that is spiritual. But oh, what a wonderful favour
that by thy divine power and influence we are enabled to do
that which is required and thy name is glorified and magnified
and thou dost lead us to Christ who is the fountain of living
water and there to draw from the wells of salvation there
to eat that living bread. Thus may we be strengthened with
all might in the inner man, as our hungering and thirst may
be graciously met. From the rich provision of the
gospel, the table spread. O Lord, may we then be partakers
May we, dear Lord, know what it is to eat that living bread
and to drink that living water. For he that eateth this bread
and drinketh this water shall never die. Oh, Lord, may we then
be like that woman at the well of Samaria, and oh, to be brought
to realise and know those living streams that flow from Jesus
Christ. O Lord, do then favour us today,
though it's no vain thing, Lord, to serve Thee, the living God. It is a sacred privilege to Thy
dear people, and we count it an honour so to do. And so, Lord, do be with us personally
and be with us unitedly as we're gathered together in thine earthly
courts, the place where thine honour dwelleth. May we be as
the heart of one man in our desires, in our longings, in our praises,
in our prayers. O Lord, to be one in the Lord
Jesus Christ, and to be one in spirit and in truth. Now, Lord, through thy great
goodness, thou hast brought us once again into this honoured
house of God. And, Lord, we pray that they
will grant us that ministerial grace and God-given ability to
minister thy word to thy flock here in the absence of their
beloved pastor, our esteemed brother. O Lord, do be with him
where he is today. be with us here, Lord, today. And O may Thy Word, wherever
it is faithfully proclaimed, have free course and be glorified
in the midst of Zion. And may it accomplish that which
is pleasing, Lord, to Thee. O we do pray for the furtherance
of the kingdom of thy grace in the hearts of those that hear,
and in the church of the living God, which is the ground and
pillar of the truth. And so, Lord, may thy truth still
be faithfully proclaimed as it is, and may there be those signs
following. so that their dear pastor may
be encouraged and cheered in his office here that thou hast
maintained him in now for a number of years. And Lord, we pray that
thou wilt be with him in his great loss that he has sustained
following the death of his dear wife. And we pray for him and
the dear family likewise, that thou wouldest comfort their hearts
and cheer their spirits in the path of bereavement that they
walk in. And Lord, we also remember our
Dear aged sister, the widow of the former pastor here, who we
remember with much love and affection also. And Lord, thou hast sustained
her wonderfully over these many years as a widow. And we thank thee for this and
pray that thou wilt be with her. all her journey through. Be with everyone, Lord, present
in this assembly. Remember, Lord, all from the
youngest to the eldest. May thy goodness and mercy follow
us each all the days of our life. We pray that they will lead us
forth in that right way, that narrow way that leads to life
everlasting. We pray that they will be with
us each in our daily lives, in our responsibilities, and in
those lawful matters that of necessity have to be attended
to. May wisdom, Lord, be given and
all needed grace and strength to do these things to the glory
of thy great and holy name and for our individual benefit and
blessings in our homes and in our lives and in our families
Lord, we need thee in everything in our lives. And we thank thee
that the children and young people, Lord, attend this house of God. And we pray that they will be
with them in their tender years as there was with Solomon of
old. And oh, Lord, give to them all
needed help. We thank the dear children at
school and those older in the workplace. Lord, we're living
in very difficult and trying and perplexing times and all
need thee. Day by day, oh, to afford, Lord,
that needful help and suit it to us each according to our individual
needs and the separate pathways. May we realise, Lord, that our
times are in Thy hands and all events at Thy command. To this end, we pray then for
the peace and prosperity of Zion and this cause of truth. praying
for each member of the church and each member of the congregation
and the officers also of this cause of truth and in their responsibilities
not only here but also within the denomination. And so dear Lord, may their labours
be blessed, Lord, by Thee, and help us each to serve Thee and
honour Thee in our day and in our generation. We pray for the afflicted, the
infirm, who labour under these things, no much weariness, of
the flesh, and pain, and weariness, and tears. O Lord, do we pray
Thee, grant, Lord, that measurable healing if it is Thy sovereign
will, and grace to bear the cross, and perseverance to continue
in that narrow way. O Lord, in all the afflictions
of thy people, thou wast afflicted, and thou art a merciful and gracious
high priest. Touched with a sympathy within,
he knows our feeble frame. And so, Lord, may thy strength
be made perfect in the weakness and the infirmities and afflictions
of those that labour under them. And remember, Lord, all in the
pathway of tribulation, for there are crosses and losses and trials
and difficulties that thy dear people are subject to in the
pilgrimage. But we do pray that each one
may be enabled to press toward the mark, look in, unto Jesus
and being able to hold on their wine. Now, Lord, we thank thee
for the rain that we have known this past week. Oh, Lord, how
needful it was. And now knoweth the prayers that
have been offered and the truths preached and pleaded before thee,
Lord. that there would ascend the rain,
and thou, in thine mercy, hast heard and answered. And, Lord,
we pray that there may be, as it was in Elijah's day, an abundance
of rain. And, O Lord, we do pray that
thy goodness to us in this nation may have, if it is thy will,
a gracious effect. that men and women might be brought
to realize the goodness of God in sending the rain. And we pray,
Lord, that they will further grant thee in gathering of the
crops and the fruits of the earth so that there may be food as
thy word declares for man and for beast. We pray that Thou
wilt be with us as a nation in the government. Thou knowest,
Lord, all that is taking place. That, O, we would look, Lord,
above men, above governments of men, and look alone to Thee,
for the government, Lord, is upon Thy shoulders. And Thou didst reign as King,
the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, So we look, Lord, to Thee,
and trust in Thee, and pray that Thou wilt undertake for us in
the nation and the nations of the earth. And grant, dearest
Lord, that for the sake of Thy dear people, Thou wilt preserve,
protect, and defend us. And so, dear Lord, do appear,
do undertake, and save us for Thy mercies save. We would thank Thee, Lord, for
every grace and favour so wonderfully conferred upon us. We would not
let Thy mercies lie forgotten in unthankfulness and without
praises die. And now, dear Lord, do help us
in our further waiting upon Thee ministerial grace and God-given
ability. Bless also the singing of the
sacred hymns that thou do hear us in heaven. They dwell in place,
O Lord, and when thou hear us, do mercifully forgive and pardon
our every sin, as we ask all for Jesus' sake. Amen. Hymn number 192, tune Celestial 111. As newborn babes desire the breast
to feed and grow and thrive, so saints with joy the gospel
taste, and by the gospel live. Hymn 192. Hymn 192. Hymn 192.
Hymn 192. to sit with joy your gospel day,
and by the gospel ring. ? With the gospel choirs proclaim
? ? Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave ? O'er the land of the free and
the home of the brave? ? For Jesus, my Prince is ? ? Shepherd,
I'm at home tonight ? ? In love with thee ? O'er the ramparts we watched,
were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the
bombs bursting in air, O'er the ramparts we watched,
were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the
bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag
was still there. Oh, say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave May the thought between us be
stillness as they were. This we command, God bless you. Thy praise, Thy heavenly praise,
glory and crown of thine. Send down the Spirit of thy Son, Devote thy heart
in thine. Blessed thy choices, thou who
rules, and make thy comforts strong. Then shall I say, My Father of
God, We have come to thee in time. the help of God. Dear friends,
I would ask your prayerful and loving attention from words to
be found in the first psalm, psalm number one, and I read
the first three verses before you by way of meditation and
text today. The first psalm, the first three
verses, Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of
the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth
in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law
of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted
by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his
season, his leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth
shall proster. The words in the third verse,
rivers of water have drawn me, to this text for today. And in the last few services
that we have endeavoured to speak from, then the subject matter
of water has been upon my spirit, as of course we have been in
great need, literally, of water in the land and upon the earth,
and how the Lord has withheld that rain. And we have seen the
effect of the drought in the hardness of the ground, or as
Jeremiah said, the ground is chapped. And so This word seemed
to come, I trust, from the Lord upon my spirit, and I was left
in no doubt as to what word to bring before you here today. What a great exercise, friends,
it is in coming before the people continuously to know the word
that the Lord would have us bring, that it may meet the cases of
the Lord's dear, living, exercised people. Well, the psalm begins. The book of Psalms begins. Blessed. What a wonderful, precious,
sacred, holy word. Blessed. Dear Moses, had to bring
before the people those two mounts. Mount Gerizim was a mount of
blessing and the mount of Ebal was the mount of cursing. And then Moses told the people
that obedience to the law, the precepts, the commands of God
would grant and give blessing. But disobedience to the laws
of God and the precepts and statutes would bring a curse. And so, friends, it's very blessed
to consider the blessing of the Lord, but it's exceedingly solemn
to consider the curse, because We were all under the curse. We all fell in Adam, our federal
head. And in that sense, we were under
the curse of God. But more than that, our own iniquity
and transgression has rendered us under the curse of God. Because Paul said in writing
to the church Galatia, cursed is every one that continueth
not in all things that are written in the law of God to do them. To do them. Well, friends, we
haven't fulfilled it, have we? Not in perfection. And one transgression
of the law will render us guilty of all. and brings us under a
curse, the curse of God. What a miracle there. The Word
of God says, blessed. Because a remedy hath been wrought
by Christ to deliver us from the curse of the Lord. Oh, friends. The dear Redeemer bore the curse
for His dear church and people. He bore it for us. And in bearing
that curse, He then turned that curse into a blessing for His
dear people. What a wonderful, wonderful,
wonderful consideration. And that's why, dear friends,
the Church of the Living God know the blessing of the Lord
and can know the blessing of the Lord because of that wonderful
work that Christ has wrought. But, let us remember this, Christ
kept all what God required in perfection. The whole law of God, the precepts,
everything that God commanded Moses, the Lord Jesus fulfilled
in perfection. Friends, the glory of God in
the person of Jesus Christ has made a way whereby we can be
blessed by God. Blessed is the man So let us
consider this blessed man and see the exercise of his soul
and also to see the way that he walks. I thought as you were
just singing this hymn, the last one, and I can't remember the
last time I heard it sung in public. It must be years ago,
but you see it speaks of this. Grace like an uncorrupted seed
abides and reigns within. Immortal principles forbid the
sons of God to sin. This, you see, is the blessed
man that's in our text. Now the blessed man, friends,
He does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly. He does not stand
in the way of sinners. And he does not sit in the seat
of the scornful. He's separate from a world that
lieth in wickedness. Now we have walketh, walketh,
standeth, sitteth. And these are three things that
we all do. We walk, we stand, we sit. Literally, I mean. Literally. But do you ponder when you're
walking down the street? I'm walking. When you're standing,
do you think I'm standing? When you're sitting, Do you think,
well, I'm sitting? No, but the child of God does
not walk with the ungodly. He doesn't stand in the way of
sinners and he doesn't sit in the way of the scornful. Why? Because he's a blessed man and
he's been shown There's something far better, far better than being
entangled with the ungodly, with sinners and with scornful. And so, dear friends, blessed
is the man that walketh not. We're not walking in the counsel
of the ungodly. We're not standing in the way
of sinners and we're not sitting in the seat of the scornful.
But under the influence of God's grace and being blessed by the
Lord, then we do walk, but we walk in ways that are pleasing
to God. Oh, you read in the Acts, where
they walk in, in the fear of the Lord, and under the influence
of the Holy Spirit, the church was multiplied. They were walking
in the fear of the Lord, and under the influence of the Spirit.
Walking. with God's dear people. Friends,
let me ask you this question. Is the one here that can feel
comfortable walking with the ungodly? Can you? You can go with the ungodly?
Walk with them? Partake with the things that
they do? Oh, no. No, friend. Grace has made a difference. It separated us from a world
that lieth in wickedness. Come out from among them, Paul
said, and be ye separate, and touch not the unclean thing,
and I will receive you, and ye shall be my sons and my daughters,
saith the Lord God Almighty. The Lord has made that complete
difference. So you desire to walk with God,
the Lord's dear people, godly men and women. And friends, how
can two walk together? How can two walk together except
they be agreed? But the Lord's people are agreed. They're agreed in the things
of God. They're agreed in the doctrines
of Christ. They're agreed in the glories
of Christ. Friends, this is where the agreement
is. This is how you can walk with each other in the things
of God. And that's a complete separation
from the ungodly. The Lord's dear people walk with
the godly. And the Lord has set apart him
that is godly for himself. Because he will have a people,
friends, to praise him and love him. The Lord has never been
without a witness for him. He never has and he never will. And he sets the godly apart for
himself. We read it, but know that the
Lord has set apart him that is godly for himself. What an honor, friends, isn't
it? This is the blessed man, friends. He's walking like dear
Enoch. Dear Enoch, was he a blessed
man? He was indeed. He wasn't walking
according to the course of this world. He was walking with God. Yes friends, with God. What an honor, what a privilege,
what a favor. But the Lord's dear people do
walk with him. Disciples of Christ are walking
with Him. They're following Him in the
footsteps that He has walked to Him. This is true discipleship
to follow Jesus Christ. So blessed is the man that walketh
not in the counsel of the ungodly. Think of the godly man and think
of the ungodly. Think of Mordecai. What a godly
man he was. And he had an enemy. He had a
deadly enemy, Hymen. And Hymen was an ungodly man. Whoever could walk Mordecai walked
with him. He couldn't. And you see, he
scorned. He scorned Mordecai. What is scorn? Scorn really is
an open contempt for one. An open contempt. A dislike,
a disregard, a hatred. Sadly as a nation, we are, the
nation, we are scorners. We have treated with contempt
the Word of God. That's a school one. Treats the
things of God with contempt. Friends, we see the solemn effect
in our land and in the world. It's an open reproach, an open
contempt upon all that God has said And declared should be done. Man treats it with contempt. And then openly with contempt
as well. So it's visible to others of
what they're doing. Well, dear friends, Mordecai
then was treated with contempt by Haman. And not only dear Mordecai, but
all the Jews. because he would not bow down
and worship Mordecai. And all the others did in the
king's court, but not Mordecai. He worshipped God, not man. And
so, dear friends, there's a good example from the Word of God
of an ungodly man Haman and a godly man, Mordecai. nor standing in the way of sinners. You don't want to be associated
with sinners. What this means is sinners practicing
sin. We're all sinners in the sight
of God. But friends, there's a difference
between being a sinner and sinning actually. And all the workings of the flesh
are recorded in the Word of God. You can turn to Romans chapter
1, friends, in the latter part of that chapter. There you have
a list of all the terrible evils and sins that are being committed
by men. And if you read that list, friends,
well, you'll see. I hope you can humbly say, I'm
not committed I'm not committing them in an outward way and manner. You see, this is the sinner's
actual transgression, actual sin. Doing those things that
God has forbidden. So, nor standeth in the way of
sinners. You don't want to be associated,
do you, with those who are practicing some particular sin or sins. The dear man Solomon speaks and
he says concerning these things, enter not into the path of the
wicked and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it Pass not
by it, turn from it, and pass away. What sound instruction,
friends, that is for all of us, but especially the young, because
you see the subtle workings of Satan. Come with us. Come with us. The Proverbs speaks
concerning this as well. My son, if sinners entice thee,
consent thou not. If sinners entice thee, and sinners
do entice sinners to evil, and they entice or try to entice
others into sin, if they do, friends, do not consent. Say no. If they say, come with
us, Let us lay wait for blood. Let us look privily for the innocent
without cause. Friends, you see, consent. Veil not. Because they are practicing
evil. They are practicing sin. To enter not into the path of
the wicked. Go not in the way of evil men.
Avoid it. Avoid it, friends. Well, what
sound instruction it is, and this is just what the godly man
does. He does avoid it, he does pass,
doesn't go near it, he turns from it and passes away. With
those who are standing in the way of sinners, better friends
to stand in awe and to sin not. Did not we read of this as well,
dear friends? Stand in awe and sin not. Ah, to be separate from a world
that lies in wickedness. And all the subtle influences
there are abroad the earth, that Satan has to die, to draw men,
women, young men and maidens into the, to be ensnared into
the ways of actual sin and transgression. Well, dear friends, here we need
to be kept. And nor standeth, but we do want
this standing, as I've said, and we want to stand fast in
another gracious way, to stand fast in the liberty wherewith
Christ hath made us free. This is where we need to stand,
friends, to be standing in what the Lord has done, that gracious
liberty. And you see the Lord has delivered
His dear people from that bondage of yoke, that yoke and bondage
of sin and condemnation, and therefore to stand fast, to be
entangled, not to be entangled again in the things of as sinful
practices, so to stand fast in that that the Lord hath accomplished
for us. And where the Spirit of the Lord
is, dear friends, there is liberty. Oh, the sacred liberty where
the Lord is, by His Holy Spirit. So nor standeth in the way of
sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. Oh, the scornful
are pleased with their scorning. Surely he scorneth the scorners. Oh, friends, man in their open
contempt and rebellion against God. You see, there's an open
contempt, isn't there, for the Christian Christianity today
in our land. Oh, there's all manner of other
religions and faiths, so-called. That's the day we live in, isn't
it? Multi-faith, multi-religion. But friends, there's only one
living and true God. There's only one gospel. And
if a man preaches any other gospel than what we have preached unto
you, The Apostle said, let him be accursed. So, sitting in the seat of the
scornful. Oh, we don't want that, friends.
What we want to do is be like dear Mary of old. And she sat at Jesus' feet. What a blessed place to sit.
Oh, today, friends. if we could be favoured to sit
at Jesus' feet and hear His word. What a good day it would be,
wouldn't it? Poor dear Martha was careful
and troubled about many things. But the Lord said, one thing
is needful. And Mary hath chosen that good
part which shall not be taken away from her. Won't be taken
away. to sit. What a blessed person she was,
sitting at the feet of Jesus, lowly, contrite, hearing his
word. Well friends, sitting now in
the sanctuary of God, with his precious words. Oh friends, is the man to be under the blessing
of God. Friends, it's a favour, so great,
so wonderful, so precious. Blessed is the man. The 119th
Psalm. And of course that is the longest
psalm as you know in the Book of Psalms. How does it commence? Blessed, blessed are the undefiled
in the way who walk, you see, it's the same, walking in the
law of the Lord. Blessed are they that keep His
testimonies and that seek Him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity. They walk in His ways. Thou hast commanded us to keep
thy precepts diligently. So this really confirms, dear
friends, our text and what I have been endeavouring to bring before
you. It's a sweet and blessed confirmation. And the Word of God, friends,
is self-confirming. This is one of the wonderful
things about the Bible, the Holy Scriptures, it is self-confirming. And if God has ever blessed your
soul, dear friend, God will confirm it from His Word. He'll confirm it. Every truth
is blessedly confirmed. and every experience of truth
is blessedly confirmed from the Word of God as you wait upon
Him and walk and stand and sit in the fear of the Lord. The
Lord will confirm the Word upon which He has caused you to hope. This will be your strength in
your affliction and in your tribulation. Now, there's no book, friends,
on earth compared to the Scriptures. No. Because it confirms itself. And why is this? Because every
word of God is truth. Every word of God is pure. Every
word of God is holy. And truth, the lip of truth,
is established forever. Truth is established forever,
friends. Forever. And the psalmist uttered
this in the 119th Psalm, forever. Oh Lord, thy word is settled
in heaven. It's settled in heaven. Settled. All is settled. The hymn writer
says, And my soul approves it well. Thy word, he says, could
never change. And amidst all the changing scenes
of life, friends, it could never change. And you may be subject
to doubts and fears and unbelief. But the time will come when the
Lord will confirm his word in your poor soul from another scripture. But it's all divinely inspired,
wonderful truth. Nothing can prevail against the
truth. It will always stand. It's always
victorious. It must be. Because it's God's
eternal word and it lives forever and ever. Well, to be amongst
to be one of these blessed characters. What did Moses say in another
place concerning this that the Lord gave him to speak? He uttered in the Numbers, the
book of Numbers, concerning the blessing, the Lord spake unto
Moses saying, speak unto Aaron and unto his son saying, on this
wise he shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them,
The Lord bless thee, and keep thee. The Lord make his face
shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee. The Lord lift up his
countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. And they shall put
my name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them. I read the other evening I'm
not sure where it was now. But I believe it was Hanover,
Thursday night. What was spoken to dear Rebecca
when she went to her uncle's home. And what was said to her? Come in, thou blessed of the
Lord. Wherefore standest thou without? Oh, friends, you see, she was
to be the wife of Isaac, the wife of Isaac, but you see, she
went to draw water, and there was the Abraham's servant, and
this is what was said, Come in, thou blessed of the Lord. Well,
friends, I wonder if there's one here and you need that divine
word to make you willing in the day of the Lord's power. Come
in. Gospel invitation. How blessed
of the Lord. There's every provision here
to come into the Church of God because there's every spiritual
blessing for the people of God. in Zion. The Lord dwells here. He's promised to bless his people,
to feed his people, to comfort his people, to console his people. And there's a growing in grace
and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. So, the Lord bless thee and keep
thee. And friends, what will be said
and what is said to the dear redeemed when they die. And what will be said at that
great day when Christ comes a second time, he'll say to his dear people,
come ye blessed of my Father, come, come. Oh friends, the Lord's
dear children who lived a life of faith upon the Son of God,
who've desired to serve and honor him in their day and generation,
and to walk completely separate from an ungodly world. The noble
say, come, ye blessed of God, inherit the kingdom prepared
for you from before the foundation of the world. These things, these
truths, these doctrines, are eternal, are eternal, so blessed
is the man. But his delight is in the law
of the Lord. Well, before we come to that,
blessed is the man Well, who is this man? Well, it's the Lord
Jesus Christ, isn't it? He's blessed with every divine,
holy attribute of Jehovah's. And he came into this world to
fulfill the will of God, concerned in the redemption of His dear
chosen elect people, friends, there's never been a more blessed
man that's walked this earth than the Lord Jesus Christ. And the Lord Jesus never walked
in the counsel of the ungodly. He didn't stand in the way of
sinners nor sat in the seat of the scorn. He came to bless His
dear people that He loved with an everlasting love. like that
woman at the well of Samaria, a poor woman. But friends, he
met her and he spoke to her. And the words that he spoke had
such a profound effect upon her. And what did she say? Come, see
a man that told me all things that ever I did. Is not this
the Christ? What a blessed testimony she
gave. That's the time appointed when
the Lord would meet with her at Jacob's well. Well, the Lord is blessed with... He is the holy, eternal Son of
God. He abounds in wisdom. He abounds
in strength. He's full of grace. He's full
of truth. He's the Incarnate Word. Oh,
His sacred ministry here below. Oh, this dear man of God. Sent from God. Sent from God. According to that covenant that
was ordered in all things and sure and friends. Oh, how He blessed those souls
that came to Him out of necessity, in all their needs. And in their
love they were drawn to him. And he granted their sacred delight. This delight in the law of the
Lord. Well, of course, the Lord did
delight. Indeed, he did. And it was spoken
of by prophecy in one of the Psalms. What do we read concerning
Christ? Then said I, lo, I come. In the volume of the book it
is written of me. I delight to do thy will, O my
God. Yea, thy law is within my heart. So, this blessed man, the dear
Redeemer, it's spoken of concerning him. I delight to do thy will,
O my God, yea, thy law is within my heart. But his delight is
in the law of the Lord. The delight of Christ was to
fulfill the law of God, because it's within my heart. Well, dear
friends, What a precious, glorious person is Jesus Christ. Oh, His delight. He came to do the will of God.
It's written in the book concerning me. That's the Old Testament.
That's the Old Testament, friends. It's written of Christ. And this
is what was said in Luke 24. Beginning at Moses and the prophets
and the Psalms spoken concerning myself. And here in one of the
Psalms it is. A delight to do the law of God. Now, man by nature never delights
to do the law of God. The carnal mind is enmity against
God. And it has no desire and no delight
to do the law of God. Because of their enmity in the
heart of man by nature. But this blessed character, the
Lord's dear people, they delight to do what the Lord commands
us to do. It's an honor to do it. because
the Lord has honoured us with His grace and with His goodness
and with His mercy and with His truth. And so, it's a delight
to fulfil and walk in truth. Is it your delight, friends,
to wait upon the Lord, to serve Him in your day and generation?
Is it your delight? Is it mine? Is it my delight,
friends, to wait upon the Lord in secret regarding the services
of the sanctuary? Oh, to wait upon the Lord in
secret with His Word. Oh, friend, is it a delight?
I hope I can say it is. I hope my Bible is a testimony
to the truth that's being constantly used. Constantly. I have to come to the fountain
of living waters. Well, dear friends, a delight
to keep the Sabbath day. It's spoken of by Isaiah concerning
this delight. How many people in the land desecrate
the Lord's day, the Sabbath day. But the Lord's dear people, they
consider it, they count it, a great delight. If I can just write
upon that, if they'll turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from
doing thy pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight,
the holy of the Lord, honourable, and shalt honour him, not doing
thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine
own words, then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord. And I will cause thee to ride
upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage
of Jacob thy father, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken
it. You see, call the Sabbath a delight,
the holy of the Lord. Well, friends, the Lord created
the world in six days, and then the seventh day, he honored it,
he blessed it, he set it apart for a day of worship, a day of
rest. A day of waiting upon God. And
of course we don't observe the seventh day now. We observe the
first to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
But it's a delight, isn't it, friends? A delight to come up
to the house of God. Indeed it is. You wouldn't do
anything else on the Lord's Day, friends. If someone had said
to you, you know, On Sunday, I'm going to do this, I'm going
to do... I'm going here. Are you coming with me? No. You'd never give your consent,
friends, to that, would you? You say, no, I'm going to the
house of God on the Lord's day. That's where I'm going. I don't
want to go anywhere else. I refuse to go anywhere else.
It's my delight to wait upon the Lord and to be with His dear
people in the house of God to hear His precious word read and
proclaimed. Oh, it's a delight to your soul
to wait and serve the Lord. But His delight is in the law,
and the Lord and the law required. That day of rest, that day of
peace, that day of quietness, that day of worship is your delight. And you know, friends, it's a
delight to the Lord's servants. Yes. You may say, well, it's
a great exercise a great responsibility. Yes, it is. But, bless ye the
Lord, all ye his hosts, ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure,
his pleasure. There's no greater pleasure on
the earth for the Lord's servant under the influence of the Spirit
to minister His Word. It's a pleasure. It's a delight. So to do. It's an honor. Indeed
it is. And so, dear friends, to serve
the Lord is an honor. It's a privilege. It's a delight. Well, only to the blessed man. Only to the Lord's people is
it a delight. But the ungodly, the scorners,
they wouldn't come into the house of God, would they? Sabbath after
Sabbath, week after week? No. No, they might come once,
they wouldn't come again, would they? They don't want to. They
want this world the vanities, the pleasures, the sins of it. That's what they want. But not
the Lord's dear people, not the blessed man in their text. They
want the things of God, to be with the people of God. But his
delight is in the law of the Lord. And in his law doth he
meditate day and night. Well, dear friends, the time
has gone. May the Lord own and bless His own Word, and come
up with us again this afternoon, if the Lord will. Amen. Hymn number 690, tune Hill-Martin
713. On wings of love the Saviour
flies, And freely left His native skies To take a human birth. The wise and righteous men go
near, His wonders see, His sermons hear, And think Him nothing worth,
Him six hundred and ninety. Peace on earth, O Saviour bright,
and freely let it take its flight, to take the human vow. The wise and righteous men go
near, His wonders see, His summons hear, Nothing in nothing world. The grim and small of the soul
Betrays, deliriously controls By sleep the yearning grows They hear it and it has a view
They learn to love and follow too And take it for them This friend that I would be has
so devoted unto thee. Heard it by Thy voice, No more
on worldly night, Or those day-night long-cuttings Of granted praise, But fill it only by choice. Ever as well my secrets lie,
That bringeth to thy aching heart The dearest heavenly sign. And any creature in the universe O many blessings make me blessed,
How blessed thy good is now! I would sing Jesus every day
and sing in all his praise. Sing him thy prophet, Grace and
King, sing in thy praise. Then praise and sing, then sing
in thy praise. And now may thy grace, Lord Jesus,
the Father's love, the communion of thy Holy Spirit, be with us
all now and for evermore. Amen.